Oakland Athletics' Yoenis Cespedes (52) celebrates with teammates, including Jonny Gomes, in the dugout after his second-inning home run against the Minnesota Twins during a baseball game, Sunday, July 15, 2012, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/The Star Tribune, Jeff Wheeler) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES TV OUT

Photo: Jeff Wheeler, Associated Press

Oakland Athletics' Yoenis Cespedes (52) celebrates with teammates,...

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OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 08: Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland Athletics hits a two run single driving in Coco Crisp #4 and Josh Reddick #16 (not pictured) in the six inning against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at O.co Coliseum on August 8, 2012 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 18: Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland Athletics hits a two run home run against the Cleveland Indians during the third inning at O.co Coliseum on August 18, 2012 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)

Photo: Jason O. Watson, Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 18: Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland...

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Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland Athletics hits a ground ball with the bases loaded scoring Cliff Pennington #2 of the Oakland Athletics (not pictured) in the bottom of the fourth inning giving the Oakland Athletics a 6-0 lead over the Boston Red Sox at O.co Coliseum on September 2, 2012 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Tony Medina/Getty Images)

OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 07: Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland Athletics steals third base in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at O.co Coliseum on August 7, 2012 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

In 1979, the A's had a promising rookie who played in center field and in left field.

That man, Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, likes what he's seen of Oakland's 2012 rookie center fielder and left fielder, Yoenis Céspedes.

"He's already an outstanding ballplayer," Henderson said. "He had a lot to learn, and he's learned well. He had a lot of adjustments to make, and he's adjusted well."

Henderson said he wasn't sure what to expect, because Céspedes was coming from Cuba and hadn't played professional baseball in the United States.

Céspedes is batting a team-high .290 and he is second on the team with 65 RBIs and tied for second in homers, with 16.

For Henderson, it's a pleasant surprise that Céspedes has hit around .300 much of the season. "I'd rather have you hit .300," he said. "Put the ball on the bat, hit the ball hard and the ball will carry out of the ballpark, but if you try to lift the ball, you're going to be out every time."

Céspedes said his goal for the season was to hit .280. "That's a good average," he said. "So I'm very happy it's going even better than I had planned."

Off-field challenges

Some of his bigger challenges have come off the field. Céspedes is learning English fairly quickly, but he arrived speaking none, and he relies on coach and interpreter Ariel Prieto, a fellow Cuban, for help with navigating the basics of everyday life. "I don't know what I'd do without this gentleman," Céspedes said of Prieto, his housemate during the season.

Some relatives who left Cuba with Céspedes, including his mother, live in the Dominican Republic, and his young son remained in Cuba with his mother. For Céspedes, being away from friends and family, living in a foreign country and operating in an unfamiliar language is trying at times.

"It has been very tough," Céspedes said. "Everything is totally different for me."

In one nice development, Céspedes has started to drive a car here. He had one in Cuba, "but there, another car goes by every 20 minutes," he said.

Crowded Bay Area freeways make for quite the contrast. "At the beginning, I was scared," he said. "But not anymore."

This offseason, Céspedes said he will get a place in Miami with his mother, because she wants to live there, "and she's the boss, I do what she wants." He said he plans to establish residency and, in time, become a U.S. citizen. He wants to get the paperwork going soon, he said.

Looking easy

On the field, Céspedes has made playing in a new league look easy. Scouts believed he couldn't hit breaking pitches early, and he has shown time and again that he can. He understands what pitchers are trying to do with him, and he can switch gears when needed.

Céspedes' power numbers have dipped, however. He has not homered in 17 games, a personal-worst stretch, and he has only two homers over the past 35 games.

Unperturbed

That does not perturb him.

"It doesn't mean I have lost power," he said. "What's happening now is I'm concentrating on making better contact. Home runs are not something I try for. They just come."

These are words a hitting coach loves to hear. Chili Davis said, "You try to be a hitter first, and let the power happen. He'll hit more. Once he hits one, they'll come, two, three, four. He's hitting balls hard right at guys right now."

Could a long season be catching up with Céspedes? The Cuban league teams play 90 regular-season games. Céspedes downplays the fatigue factor, saying he is mentally strong, but Davis acknowledged that the length of the major-league season might play a role.

"What he's done is like coming out of college and going straight to the big leagues," Davis said. "He's played in a lot more games than he has before, and you do get to a point where you get a little weary. He'll get a second wind. He's fine."

Switching positions

The one major on-field challenge for Céspedes - the only real baseball struggle he has had - was moving from center to left field in May. He said he is starting to feel more comfortable there, but he still - strongly - prefers center field.

"I've talked to him about it, because I had to do that, move from center," Henderson said. "In center, everything is right in front of you. In left, everything gets to you a lot quicker, and you have to go get it."

There is no doubt he is improving in left field after two-plus months of bad breaks and poor routes. Céspedes suddenly appears to have gotten it, and his cannon of an arm could be a major asset in left; he made two terrific throws to the plate this week.

"It was a struggle for a while," manager Bob Melvin said. "Now, certainly, it's not an issue. This is a great athlete. That's what you're seeing."

Céspedes also did some Rickey-like running on the homestand, stealing second and third, both standing up, on back-to-back pitches Saturday.

"Nothing he does surprises me anymore," Melvin said. "He has the ability to do whatever he wants in this game."

The consensus is that Céspedes will be even better next season. Asked in English if he believes that to be the case, Céspedes responded, "Sí."

For one thing, he said, he now has experience with the long big-league season and, he said, "I'll lose less strength."

"First year in the league, he's been impressive," Angels outfielder Torii Hunter said. "He hadn't ever seen major-league pitching before, and he's hit around .300 - imagine what he'll do with four or five years under his belt."

Perhaps the most eye-popping number is the A's record with Céspedes - they are 64-38 with him on the field, 12-22 without him.